Beach volleyball was guaranteed to be a sure-fire hit for both sexes, what with the aesthetically-pleasing athletes displaying their sculpted and tanned torsos, whatever the weather. But in actual fact, this London 2012 Olympic sport is spectacular because of its venue.
Whichever way you travel into Whitehall, the area is as firmly steeped in Britishness as the Union Jacks on the adjacent buildings that it feels like the Empire has been resurrected.
Other venues outside of the Olympic Park include Wembley, a plasticised, soulless shopping mall of a football stadium, the idyllic Greenwich Park and Hampton Court. But Horse Guards Parade was shrewdly chosen by organisers to satisfy architecture buffs, tourists AND cynical Britons.
On a brief tangent, the forthcoming James Bond film, Skyfall, features an iconic shot of Daniel Craig's 007 stood atop of a skyscraper admiring the Westminster skyline.
From the press tribune it is similarly superb. From left-to-right, the The Shard, the London Eye, the Clock Tower and Parliament all poke above the iconic post-Great Fire of London architecture. You may be outside but the air you inhale is historic.
Cool Britannia
Inside the arena, the atmosphere was feverishly frivolous. The Who and The Kinks played out to male and female Hawaiian-dressed dancers before and during matches; their exuberance not curtailed by the initially overcast weather, nor was it amongst the attendants.
"I see there were a lot of photos being taken at that point," the MC wryly observed. The fanfare immediately followed, greeted with the loudest "Ole!" of the day. The excitement levels rose louder when it was a dozen females jigging in the sand.
Crowd pleasers
Good Vibrations was aired during one interval, as the dancers made their way up to the aisles. Since the most sexually-charged moment of beach volleyball featured Maverick, Goose and Ice Man in Top Gun, the young ladies seemed obliged to make amends. Although they didn't ascend up to the press tribune...
"C-O-N-G-A... That spells conga! Let's show London how we party!" Myth-busters will suggest otherwise, but the good vibrations could even keep killjoys hum in SW1A.
A Mexican Wave would occasionally break out, prompting the MC to boast "You don't get this at Wimbledon!" Well, unfortunately you do. Although he did atone seconds later: "You get Cliff Richard instead, which is rubbish." There were no jeers of disapproval.
Should you be a beach volleyball enthusiast, observing the sport on the television is preferable. No excuses are made for this bash and it slips your mind the sportsmen and women are actually competing for an Olympic medal.
But for a cynical soul who deplores music, Mexican Waves and anticipatory clapping at sports, the beach volleyball deserves to be made an exceptional case. If the sport doesn't engage you, then the setting will. Rule Britannia.